The Elicitor is the literary magazine of Gloucester (MA) High School.
Enjoy new work selected by the 2016-2017 editors Julia Johnson and Jillian Oliveira. The Elicitor online is updated every two weeks. Thank you to the Gloucester Education Foundation for financial support.

It was a warm, sunny afternoon, and I was walking past a store window when this color caught my eye. It was a subtle yellow. It wasn’t the type of yellow that made you want to shield your eyes; it was the kind of yellow that made you think of lemon squares. Not the store- bought kind though, the ones made out of scratch, the ones that you pour your whole heart into. It was a dress, an exquisite dress. I stopped in front of it, just staring. It was blanketed with a layer of lace. Someone would have to look very closely in order to see the fine details of the design.

There was this overwhelming feeling that washed over me when I looked at it. It was like I somehow knew who this dress was. A faint memory painted itself, using watercolors, in the back of my mind. I could just barely make out the face of a person. There sun was peering out from the background. A glimpse of an arm. A few fingers.

I peered closely at the fabric. The neckline wasn’t completely covered in lace, instead there were slopes. Several sections of white pattern swooping down, up, and down again, the yellow acting as a backdrop. Then at the bottom, the lace skated past the hemline.

There was something about the essence of the dress that gave off an aura of the 1950’s. When I looked at the dress, I imagined a woman cooking dinner for her family, having midday tea with her friends, and writing down all her thoughts in a leather bound notebook.

In the watercolor, I was beginning to see hints of brown hair. A grayish green color where the left eye should be placed. I could tell it was a girl, but I wasn’t sure who she was, or why she was there.

The designer of the dress crafted the piece eloquently. It had a sweetheart neckline and no sleeves. The bodice of the dress led to a flowy ending, where women had the freedom to dance around as they pleased.

It was a classy dress. Old fashioned. There weren’t many people who could pull it off in the twenty-first century, but the ones who could must have poise or at least an old soul.

I took one last look at it, basking in all its glory before I left.

I walked away with this feeling in my gut, telling me to look back.

Turn around.

There was one more thing that I noticed.

The mannequin was wearing a string of pearls. A one of a kind addition to the already unique dress. It will be a challenge to future shoppers to find a dress like this one.

It wasn’t until I noticed the white beads that I understood the painting.

It was a painting of you.

You in your happiest state.

You as my best friend.

The you that I met in high school, through all the drama and the craziness.

The Elicitor is the literary magazine of Gloucester (MA) High School.
Enjoy new work selected by the 2016-2017 editors Julia Johnson and Jillian Oliveira. The Elicitor online is updated every two weeks. Thank you to the Gloucester Education Foundation for financial support.

The Elicitor Version 2.017

1. Welcome to the Elicitor blog. As often as we can we will publish something new--a poem, a short story, a photograph, or something else--by a Gloucester High School student. If you have something you would like for us to consider for electronic publication please email it to juliajohnson@gloucesterschools.com or jillianoliveira@gloucesterschools.com.

2. In addition to updating the blog on a bi-weekly basis we are gathering writing and art for a Spring 2017 full magazine issue of the Elicitor. Please submit work (marked Elicitor) toJulia Johnson, Jillian Oliveira, Ms. Eastman in room 3203, or to your English teacher. All submissions are welcome. We want to read what you've written and look at the art you've made.

Contributors

Gloucester Poet Laureate Scholarship

Organization: John J. Ronan

Amount: $250.00 – girl; $250.00 - boy

Requirements: The Poet Laureate Scholarship was created in 2009 to recognize graduating seniors from GloucesterHigh School who show an interest and ability in poetry. Winners need not be residents of Gloucester. In any year, if only one winner is chosen, that senior will receive $500. Applicants must submit a one page letter explaining past interest and activities involving poetry, and three sample poems.